Monday, 15 December 2008

Welcome To Our House...

I picked up the old front gate from a demolition yard as having one custom made was way too expensive. This one cost a mere $40!!

I covered most of the exterior windows with black and white stripe awnings as above.

Here you can see the old part of the kitchen which is made in white laminex. We do plan to eventually change these cabinets but for the meantime I am very happy with the way they work. To dress the kitchen up I placed an Antique French Armoire in this old section which I use as our pantry and opposite it I placed an old chest of drawers I had which houses my large collection of napery. On top I placed a few of my favourite pieces of china and above it I hung a painting which was painted for us by a family friend and given to us as an engagement present {as below}.

Above is the new island bench we had made for the Kitchen with a white carrara marble benchtop.

In the dining area I was inspired by U.S. Designer Windsor Smith to use my 2 old black and white wing chairs as end chairs which I then paired with a collection of mismatched Antique & Vintage side dining chairs.

I had this large bookcase custom built to cover the entire wall at the end of our new room so that it could house my large collection of magazines, books and pieces. I had to let my husband have one thing in this entire renovation and that was having the t.v. in this bookcase. I'm usually not a fan of t.v.'s on show but I gave in!!

This loom sofa I had custom painted in hot pink. I bring it inside during the week so that we have extra seating in our lounge room and then I take it out on the deck on the weekends when we have friends over.

I wanted to use wallpaper somewhere in the house and as I have alot of artwork I didn't want the house to look too cluttered with wallpaper as well so I decided to use this Manuel Canovas paper in the W.C. to add some interest and fun to a usually not so interesting room!!

In the bathroom I selected white subway tiles with grey grout on the walls and white hexagonal mosaics on the floor. I found the old timber workbench on Ebay for a very small sum of money and decided to use it in the bathroom. I went for two Antique mismatch mirrors which I absolutely adore!

Hello again. I know you've all been waiting so patiently for this........

Finally here are some pictures which I promised to show you of our newly renovated home! As you can see there's lots of white with pops of colour and lots of vintage/Antique pieces of furniture....my favourite look!! We are just so excited and thrilled with the end result and we feel so lucky to be able to have our little dream cottage renovated just the way we like it.

We still have a few more things to do which include building a new garage pavillion which will also have a little room to house our treadmill, renovating the other bathroom in the house, doing some new cabinetry in the kitchen, planting some garden beds and skim coating the exterior brickwork of the house which we plan to paint white...but all in good time and anyway I think would get bored if I didn't have a little project or two going on!! I hope you enjoy sneaking a peak inside our home. Thanks for dropping by!

Oh, PS...I do have one more room to show you which I will post pictures of this week....it's another little lounge room which Harry uses as his play room but it was WAY too messy to show you pictures of today!

I love the miss matched dining chairs!! I have tried to do a similar thing with my dining chairs.. So much more interesting than 6 of the same thing. I also love those cushions!! They have inspired me for the cushions I intend to make for my couch... I just need to find some beautiful fabrics...

Your home is gorgeous Anna...we all knew it would be. My Husband is now having second thoughts about our white makeover....I am SO showing him this post! :PWhat a great job you have done. Love Harry's room too.Ness xx

Oh Anna, it is just beautiful, I love it all, as I am sure many others will. Thinking I might back up and move up to Brissy to live with you, that ok? Congratulations on such stunning and inspiration space, and thank you for opening her home to share with us all xx

Well let me be the first to say "Absolutely Beautiful work Anna" I love the white backdrop especially the white floors. The limoges tea set sits proudly upon the antique timber drawers and the pink wallpaper is very sweet in the toilet room. Great choice of tiles in the bathroom too. Harry's room is really beautiful and great for a growing boy.Morning tea sounds good too!Hayley and Tracey x

Hi!! I absolutely and LOVING your house and wanted to tell you how gorgeous i think it is!! Makes me want to clear out and start all over again. I am so wishing now that we painted our q'lander white and black/white awnings (copy cat !!)oh well maybe down the track...sometimes i really do RUSH things. This is just beautiful...every room sings! Mel xxx

So so lovely. I also fell in love with Windsor Smith wing backs and have decided to do that in my dining room. But there is a shot of a mirror that is barely visible a dark wood divided, please could you give a better shot? Thanks for sharing all the wonderful designs, best of luck in your new home. xo, MB

Anna, you are a genius. Your home is gorgeous and exciting and warm and homey and comfortable all at once. Such great energy and cheerfulness. I wish you could help me with my house all the way over here in connecticut. Thank you so much for sharing the beauty. Love it all.

Anna dear, my assumptions were beyond right I think your house is my dream house.. If only I had your talent! But thank you, thank you for such beautiful inspiration. Your use of color, white, beautiful pieces of furniture and artwork is perfectly lovely. Where do you find all of your beautiful artwork??? I absolutely love the old chest in the kitchen with gorgeous painting and the beautiful teapot and tea cups!

It is stunning! Chic and very personal at the same time, (not easy to achieve). I adore the bookcase and the large nude! You have great taste in art. I have just become a representative for an artist you may enjoy. I think I'll email you some pictures. Thanks for opening your home to us!

You are sooooooo talented!!! Your home is beautiful and unexpected and clever and fresh. I love it! I like the pink wallpaper in the w.c. and the two white tole chandeliers over the table. I also like the few dark antiques scattered here and there. And your artwork inspired me to pick up the brush again! Thank you so much for the tour - lovely!

Ok, so I'm really loving several things here: The front gate (stunning, what a find!), your blue/white Chinese "vases", the over the top mirror in the entry hall, the painting in your dining room, the small mirrored side table, and on and on and on! The house is a success! Congrats :)

Anna~I thought your old house was gorgeous, but you have really outdone yourself with this reno. I am crazy about all the color tempered by the white and it is so bright and cheery, with just the perfect balance of warmth and character! Thanks so much for sharing your beautiful home with us!

What an incredibly beautiful - and personal! - home you have. I'm going to have to bookmark this page for future inspiration. I don't even know where to begin with what I love - the pink barstools, the painting, your chandelier, your bookshelves... thank you for sharing.

You know how in cartoons everything is exaggerated, like when a male character see's a female and his eyes pop way out of his head? That was literally me seeing your decor pictures for the first time! Its crazy how gorgeous your home is. Congratulations on the renos Anna!MrsPxx

It is SO you! I love it - I knew you would create something that was all you! I adore the punches of pink in the kitchen island room. The black and white awnings peeping through the windows is genius! I love the white walls and white floors!!! AND the best? The pink wallpaper!! To DIE for! I adore the bathroom with the gray grout -!!! another genius stroke. Anna - I am green with envy over your pink and black and white home!!!!! Use it in good health!!!!!!!! Adorable, just like you!

Congratulations!! It is beautiful. Your exquisite taste is apparent in every nook and cranny of the home. I love every detail, right down to those pink and yellow jewel boxes on the bookcase and the gorgeous pink wallpaper in the bathroom. Impeccable!

Lovely, gorgeous, divine... I love your bookcase, I have one so similar but it always looks so messy. Will carry my computer to that room and try and copy your styling. I have to say though, that I painted my whole house vivid white throughout, but am now (after 4 years) having second thoughts and thinking of painting all the rooms different colours (I have already with my tv room - a very very dark brown, and my daughter's study - a donkey grey). I am thinking of painting my lounge a french grey. What do you think? Also, as much as I adore your house, just one honest dislike (I must be the only one) but I'm not sure about the bar stools - won't they get so dirty?

Thanks for your honesty Tracey but I had the barstools made with slip covers so I can just whip the covers off and wash them when they get dirty and I was also thinking I might even get a few sets of covers made in different fabrics so that I can alternate them! The pink barstools are actually one of my most favourite things!!xxAnna

Oh, Anna. You've done a fabulous job. My favourites? The pink stripey chair in front of the bookshelf. LOVE that fabric. The toilet - yes, def agree that this room of the house is somewhere you can have some fun. And the bathroom with the vanity made out of a workbench and the tiles. Brilliant ideas. You clever, clever thing. x

Anna, your house is beautiful, I am still devouring every photo. There are so many amazing things, your chairs, the wallpaper, the dining table the cushions, your collection of books, teaset, so many things I love, I can't even begin to choose a favourite. I am going to go and have another look. Thank you for sharing.

Bravo on the whole house. I love how light and bright it is. I think my very favorite is your white bathroom and your skill with bookshelf vignnettes - you did an amazing job with them. It's so visually pleasing and inspiring.

I LOVE it! But then again, I love everything you do! I think the best part are all the vintage touches. Just goes to show that you don't have to spend millions of dollars to create an absolutely beautiful home!

Beautiful Anna. Spectacular WC! The neatest, prettiest bookshelf I have ever seen. LOVE all the white and mixing of styles....exudes design confidence. It's a very 'brave' approach and that's why everyone LOVES it.... we are all too timid to even attempt what you have achieved. A-M xx

hhhhmmmm ok where to begin, the striped awnings, the chandalier over the marble benches, the pink sofa, the bookshelves the mismatched mirrors in the stunning bathroom, the old workbench....I'm so in love....aaahhhh sigh.

I die (yikes! You've forced me to go all Rachel Zoe on you) I've followed you're blog from the beginning and it's great to see your style evolve and grow. Your home is beautiful (mag spread anyone?) I covet the stripey chair (Homereno-7.jpg) and the two mismatched mirrors are brilliant! Congratulations!

I am mailing this to u from india.Simply luv everything that u paste on the blog.Hope some day I will be able to open up a store and have all such beautiful things to sell.ur blog is serioulsy an inspiration to me. and luved ur home.it is simple and elegant.

VERY late to the party, but wanted to tell you how "absolutely beautiful" your home is! I makes me happy just to look at it. AND I get such great ideas for myself! I am glad you liked the Bolgger Trees poat! I think I will do another...there are so many great ones out there! Yours is definitely up at the top!

I {luv} the bursts of color that are subtlely infused into each room. The pink slip colors...I'm in luv...the black and white chair covers...oh la-la...the beautiful chandelier...I want that!!ah-h-h-h...

I'm an American who reads your blog nearly every day, but I've never left a comment. Well, now I must! Your house is extraordinary. Your use of bright pink is an absolute revelation! So unique and fresh. You know how you see something and you say, "I wish I could redo my entire house to incorporate that idea"? Well that's how I feel seeing pictures of your house. Thank you for sharing it.

I am absolutely in love with your house...every piece of it! I wish my husband would allow me to go crazy with pink. I can't wait to move into our own house and decorate it... but it's not going to be as good as yours!

This comment is now long overdue, but I wanted to say how incredible your house looks! It seems warm, welcoming, and just a bit eclectic, which I think all the best homes are. I love the white with the pops of color, and the bathrooms both look divine.

I just wanted to thank you for being such an inspiration! Your ideas have my brain spinning with new & clever things i'd love to do to my home this year. A must do: Incorporate bright & cheerful colors to every room. I've already started & let me say, the change is amazing! Happy new year and i love reading your blog.

Everytime (like...4000 times) I see youre wing chairs in youre dining room, and i feel like crying. It's Impossible to find something so amazing, pretty and fantastic in Norway, or even a online stoore with EU shipping.

I established this blog in 2006 so that I could record my inspirations, my thoughts and my work as an Interior Designer. Based in Brisbane, Australia, my store Black & Spiro is always filled with a unique collection of interesting things which we scour the globe to find. I am most passionate about my family, my career, tradition, collecting, flowers, fabric, gardening, colour and quality and I will always strive to be creative and extraordinary in everything I do. I hope I can inspire you to live a bright and colourful life surrounded by the things you love.